Iron Storage Raises Diabetes Risk

A study has found that storing abnormal amounts of iron in the body can lead to adult onset diabetes in women, raising the possibility that a blood test earlier in life could help identify those at risk from the disease, researchers stated.

The finding came from a look at 698 women among thousands of nurses who gave blood samples between 1989 and 1990 as part of a multiyear study. The 698 women developed diabetes over the course of the study even though they were free of it and free of heart disease as well at the start.

When their initial blood samples were compared with others who did not develop diabetes over a 10-year period, it was found that the diabetic group had significantly elevated levels of ferritin when the initial blood samples were taken.

Ferritin is an iron-protein complex in blood that is a marker for iron storage.

Women with higher ferritin levels at the start of the study had a nearly threefold increased risk of developing diabetes, the study found, even after taking into account such things as obesity and other risk factors including family history of diabetes, physical activity, alcohol use and diet.

"The results provide the strongest evidence to date that increased iron stores in the body are an independent risk factor for type 2 diabetes," said Rui Jiang of the Harvard School of Public health, lead author of the study appearing in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association.

Frank Hu, a senior author, added: "The findings suggest that a simple blood test which measures ferritin levels can be used to predict the development of type 2 diabetes in otherwise healthy people. This may help in identifying high-risk people who would possibly benefit from further lifestyle or therapeutic interventions that can lower iron stores in the body."

It was known that excessive iron stores could cause diabetes among patients with hemochromatosis, a genetic defect in the regulation of iron absorption, the study said. But it had not been clear whether moderately higher iron stores raised the risk of developing diabetes in otherwise healthy individuals, it said.

The authors said iron excess seems to contribute to insulin resistance and later to decreased insulin secretion.

Reference Source 89

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